Florist. Gift shop clerk. Bookstore operator. Those are the jobs I dream about. What would you do if the bills were all covered? It’s a shame that, as a society, we’ve devolved to a place where we have to forgo these types of jobs for other, less rewarding ones because the ones we’d like toContinue reading “Imagine.”
Category Archives: Career Nirvana
Getting back to basics
Here’s another inspiring story about a person who left their tech job to do something meaningful to both themselves and their community. According to his LinkedIn profile, Dan Szymanowski has been a UX and web designer for 15 years. But five months ago, he decided to pull the trigger on an entirely different career path,Continue reading “Getting back to basics”
Comparing Leadership Assessments: Gallup CliftonStrengths and Leadership Circle Profile
It was breezy and threatening rain on a Saturday morning in June when I met Sarah Kundla and her partner in life and business, Joel, to compare notes on our experiences with leadership, business, and team coaching. Inside Village Coffee of Sunbury, though, it was warm and cozy. The place was literally buzzing with activity.Continue reading “Comparing Leadership Assessments: Gallup CliftonStrengths and Leadership Circle Profile”
Clint Tuttle: Finding his niche in life after tech
I’ve been spending some time lately developing the content for a custom Excel course I’ll be running for a local manufacturer. I have to admit, at first, I was not especially enthralled about teaching Excel. I don’t t typically think of it as my wheelhouse. But as I dug into the content, I started toContinue reading “Clint Tuttle: Finding his niche in life after tech”
Game over.
“I got tired of spending every day doing something I didn’t love, surrounded by people I really didn’t like.” — Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart When was the last time you actually looked forward to something at work? That you weren’t up all night Sunday, staring at the ceiling, wondering what fresh hellContinue reading “Game over.”
That’s What I’m Talking About!
If you’ve skimmed even a few of my posts in the last several months, you’ve likely noticed I’ve been blathering on and on (and on … and on) about how now is the time for us all to step away from the corporate machine and hang out a shingle. You might be thinking I’m aContinue reading “That’s What I’m Talking About!”
JoAnn Fabrics: A Fall From Grace
First posted on LinkedIn in June 2025. By now you’ve likely heard that, for the second time in one year, Ohio-based JoAnn Fabrics has filed for bankruptcy. This time, though, they are closing all of their stores and relieving all of their employees of their jobs. You might be thinking, what happened?! JoAnn’s was killingContinue reading “JoAnn Fabrics: A Fall From Grace”
Everything is fine.
My LinkedIn feed this morning is disturbing. Sure there’s the typical flood of AI-created swill, all trying to make us feel like we’re going to be left behind if we don’t jump on the bandwagon. But quietly tucked between every 10 of these robotic hurry-up-and-work-harder-before-it’s-too-late posts, there’s a bit of heartbreak. A middle-aged mother whoContinue reading “Everything is fine.”
It’s time to come home.
In a recent Wall Street Journal article entitled, The Midwestern Exodus Is Finally Ending, Jeanne Whalen and Paul Overberg report that the Rust Belt might be finally having a moment. It may be too early to call a Midwest Renaissance, but for the first time in years, the numbers are pointing in an upbeat directionContinue reading “It’s time to come home.”
Building a stronger community, one small business at a time
Given the opportunity, what would you build in your community? As the hellscape that is the tech industry continues to implode, more and more tech workers just like us find ourselves wondering what we’re going to do next. Both what we will do to continue to feed our need for creativity, autonomy, mastery, and purpose,Continue reading “Building a stronger community, one small business at a time”
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